A Bookshelf of Favorites
some might call it a reading list
Q | What are your favorite books? Spiritual and fiction.
A | This question came by way of a personal email, but it got me thinking, “What are my favorites!?!” so I thought I would share. Turns out you’re also getting blurb-like explanations accompanied by life anecdotes.
Do share what’s on your reading list. I always love to hear!
Did you know that each day I write a response to a question that one of you has asked? Read them here or add yourself to the email list.
Better yet! Submit your own.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
It’s a classic for a reason. While it feels a touch cliché to have this on the list, much less at the top, this is a book that I can revisit again and again without ever tiring of it. There’s an ease with which the story unfolds that is increasingly rare. I revel in it with every reread. (Is this the cover that everyone received for high school reading?)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
I discovered this book as a total fluke. The community where I spent my summers has a shared library where folks can donate books or grab one for themselves. Recognizing the name from the eponymous movie, I snagged the well-worn red paperback when I spotted it.
Turns out, the book is incredible. If you love the movie, read it!! I was shocked how many plot holes resolve themselves in the text along with some rich backstory and didn’t-know-I-needed-it additional context.
The novel is written by William Goldman whose name you might recognize as the screenwriter for the movie. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men also rank amongst his well known screenplays.
In tracking down an obituary to share a bit about his life, I discovered that Goldman graduated from Oberlin, the college I attended and where loads of my relatives are also alumni. Might this explain his affinity for visiting me as a ghost? He’s excellent company, by the way. Had you any doubt?
BFG by Roald Dahl
This book, along with many others by Roald Dahl, was a staple of my childhood and is one that I still love today. Understanding how I perceive the world, my affinity for his fiction makes oodles of sense. What reads as fantasy is not so distant to my day to day experience.
Now, if you really want to turn things on their head, explore the adult works of Dahl. Wow. Wow. Wow. They are nothing like the children’s books you know and love. Grab the collected works, pour yourself a cup of tea, keep the pot on hand, and snuggle into a comfortable chair as your eyes get wider and wider learning about a darker side of Dahl.
Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland
I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve gifted this book, one even included a sketch of ginger root that could have been mistaken as poo by anyone not in on the joke. These writings were seminal to my understanding of my art during college. My original copy has copious underlines and notes. It helped things make sense in a way that other perspectives hadn’t.
While focused on art and the artist, you can swap out any endeavor or career and still find great meaning in these words. Plus, it’s super short. A tome of deep insights can be so overwhelming. Two enthusiastic thumbs up to the authors for keeping this simple.
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
I love everything Rainbow Rowell. During my time living in Philly, I read through most of her books during my hour-long train commutes back and forth to work. YA Fiction was perfect for that two hour chunk of my day, lending itself to the less than focused reading that stopping and starting requires. Plus, trains are excellent for people watching which is distracting in its own right.
It’s been a few years since I last revisited this title. Here’s what I can tell you. When I first read it, I took it everywhere. One day on the trolley heading back into Center City from West Philly, the operator tapped me on the shoulder informing me, “Ma’am, we’re at the end of the line. You need to get off.” I was so absorbed in the book that I hadn’t realized that we were underground again and that the trolley had been stopped for a good five to ten minutes. How’s that for an endorsement?
As for the Spiritual
You may have noticed a total absence of spiritual books listed here. Art & Fear is as close as it comes. I simply have no recommendations on this front.
The deeper into the world of galactics and aliens I delve, the more I realize that some of the books that I used to enjoy have a heavy influence from a whole assortment of alien groups attempting to assert their influence. Consequently, I’ve reshelved all of them into what I’ve titled my Reference Library of Awful to keep as materials for those authors I analyze in The Great Dismantling.
It is my firm belief that the books that we need today and moving forward have yet to be written. The big names of the past and those whose names are currently in lights are either outdated or tainted, often both. A new crop of authors and leaders is set to emerge. Tick. Tick. Tick.
There’s actually one pair of books that still meets the cut. They’re written by Norm Ream, the minister in the Congregational church where my folks were raised. It’s quite possible that aside from his own children that I’m the only one to hold copies of his work. Titled Reflections on Man and Nature, he explores the quiet spirituality in the everyday. Easy to see why these resonate so strongly.
An Explanation No One Required
I’m going to launch into a topic that no one posed but that I find important. Reading is really, darn difficult. My right eye has always wandered when I read which ultimately results in fatigue, both optical and mental. I truly put this to the test in college double majoring in Art History and English and reading (at minimum) 200+ pages a week. Ultimately I dropped English down to a minor to give myself some breathing room.
My enjoyment of reading and desire to know things has always helped me push through any vision related obstacles. I also started seeing a behavioral optometrist in sixth grade. Let me tell you, understanding how your eyes work together can quite literally change your life.
Where things stand today, I lack the stamina and muscle control to do much reading. It’s a real bummer because plowing through novels would be an ideal pairing with sitting motionless in bed with paralysis. I can handle online articles, but even then I have a tendency to read them in spurts. I’ll start something, take a break, and then return a few more times to read the rest.
What is more noticeable with ataxic movement throughout my body (that’s all the jerking and lack of execution of simple movements) is also present in my eyes. During my physical for Disability consideration, the nurse practitioner was fascinated by the shift-shift-shift of my eyes back and forth, remarking, “Watch this!” to my mom.
A more noticeable version of that is sometimes present in those with varying degrees of blindness where you see rapid eye movement moving back and forth without focusing. What I’m experiencing is more subtle.
Understandably, reading is not a relaxing endeavor for me, at least not the way that it used to be. And try as I might, I loathe audiobooks. To counter all of this, I watch a lot of interviews. Having the added context of the visible makes the auditory easier to digest and understand. Adapt to the situation as it stands. No use bemoaning my inability to read. I adjust where I can.
In the Hopper
There are a few books sitting on my shelf waiting for me to regain these abilities. At the top of the list is the Wheel of Time series since I have thoroughly enjoyed the onscreen adaptation. The Fault in Our Stars sits atop it for similar reasons.
On the non-fiction front, The Design of Everyday Things and Snakes in Suits are waiting for my attention, as are a few books by Buckminster Fuller. I’m curious about the innovators of old who have shaped how we see design today. And who doesn’t love a geodesic dome?
Well, that was wordier than intended. I’m certain that I’ve still omitted something. What should I add to my future reading pile? What book couldn't you put down? What’s by your nightstand that you’re currently reading?
Have a question of your own? Don’t hesitate to ask! Reply to this email, drop it in the comments, or submit it here. I answer as many as I can.
A few more photos of the old Cincinnati Library. Trust me, having grown up in Cincinnati, the library that replaced this is not nearly as breathtaking. Conversation for another day, are we in a new era of demolishing architectural gems like these? Penn Station is still one of the most heartbreaking.
Your first two are favorites of mine as well, but strangely The BFG is one of the few Dahl books I've never finished. I've reread James and the Giant Peach a thousand times when I was young and it's still a favorite escape from reality book. The Secret Garden is another.
I am absolutely entranced by the photos of the Cincinnati library. I had to share them with my dad, who was born and grew up partially in Cincy. That photography site has some wonderful photos of long ago Detroit as well. Thanks for sharing it!